THEATRE REVIEW: Oresteia

UPDATE: Oresteia transfers to the Trafalgar Studios and runs 22 August to 7 November

Worth a look?: ****

Where: Almeida Theatre

When: 4/7/15 and runs until 18/7/15

Ben Whishaw, star of the next production in the Almeida’s Greek season, is sitting in the venue’s cafe and bar going largely unnoticed as the audience prepares itself for the three-hour-and-40-minute opener Oresteia. Read More

LIVE REVIEW: Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett

Worth a look?: ****

Where: Royal Albert Hall

When: 8/6/15

Setlist: Anything Goes; Cheek To Cheek; They All Laughed; For Once In My Life; Sing You Sinners; Nature Boy; The Good Life; Bang Bang; Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered; Firefly; Smile; When You’re Smiling; I Won’t Dance; The Lady’s In Love With You; Solitude; I Can’t Give You Anything; How Do You Keep The Music Playing?; I’ve Got The World On A String; In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning; Let’s Face The Music and Dance; Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye; Who Cares?; I Left My Heart In San Francisco; But Beautiful; The Lady Is A Tramp; It Don’t Mean A Thing

Have you ever taken your dad to a gig?

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LIVE REVIEW: Hurts

Worth a look?: ***1/2

Where: Scala

When: 16/6/15

Setlist: Surrender; Some Kind Of Heaven; Miracle; Somebody To Die For; Rolling Stone; Evelyn; Nothing Will Be Bigger Than Us; Weight Of The World; Blood, Tears and Gold; Wonderful Life; Sunday; Better Than Love; Illuminated; Stay.

A 12-strong choir joins Theo Hutchcraft and a newly bearded Adam Anderson on stage for their 1st London gig for 20 months.

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FILM REVIEW: Amy plus Q&A with director Asif Kapadia

Worth a look?: *****

Where: BFI

When: 22/6/15

Opening nationwide: 3/7/15

The most heartbreaking moment in Kapadia’s follow-up to Senna is when one of Amy’s friends explains how the star told her a career highlight for any other artist, winning five Grammys including one presented by her hero Tony Bennett, was boring without drugs.

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LIVE REVIEW: Glastonbury Festival 2015 top 5

5. Years and Years

5pm Saturday on the John Peel Stage and Y&Y lead singer Olly Alexander is sporting a glittery rainbow top to mark London’s Pride celebrations. A triumphant 12-song set saves the best ’til last with King (monstagigz single of 2015 so far). We’d predict debut album Communion (out 11/7) is more r’n’b than Depeche Mode. Ones to watch. New single Shine available 5/7.

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Welcome to monstagigz!

monstagigz is a blog featuring reviews of London’s most thrilling music, theatre and cinema. We love (in no particular order) Lady Gaga, Glastonbury, Kinky Boots, Andrew Haigh, Gypsy, Benedict Cumberbatch, Eurovision and Charli XCX – and we hope, dear reader, to fire your passion for all of these and more. Mr monstagigz has worked in journalism for local newspapers and the business media. He is now devoting a little time to spreading the word about those gigs (or gigz …?) too big (or monsta …?) to keep quiet about.